Two Souls, One Body
by Akirina
Summary: After living with dangerous Anissina for many years,the unfortunate has finally happened!Yuuri has been changed to a child!How will Conrad and the others react?When Dai Shimaron decides to interfere,how will the Ten Nobles help?Cowritten by Akikee and me!
1. Prologue

Title: Two Souls, One Body

Author: WordlessDreams and Akikee

AN: This is cowritten by two authors!

Akikee: First KKM fanfic… be nice, please don't flame?

WordlessDreams: Happy reading!

Prologue

One fine day…

"HEIKA!" (Yeah, that would be Günter)

"RUN!"

The silent peace of the morning was interrupted by the unearthly scream and a bird circled around Blood Pledge Castle, crying "Bad Omen, Bad Omen!"

Then enters Anissina, rope in hand, swinging it like a whip as she caught aforementioned Heika. Yuuri could only look at her with fearful eyes before he got dragged away.

"SAVE ME, CONRAD!" the boy screamed to his missing protector. How could Conrad be missing at this vital time? He was going to be pulverized by Anissina's experiments in a second!

"I'm so sorry, Heika." Anissina says.

"No more Conrad dear to save you! Accept your fate!" she told the still screaming king, and then turned to Gwendal, warning, "Gwendal, if you dare interfere, I'll have all your stuffed toys shred to ribbons! That surely wouldn't be pretty, don't you think?"

Gwendal, who had almost moved to save his king, took one look at Anissina who gave him an evil eye and ran away, without even daring to look back.

"Let me go! I don't want to be your experiment object! Look for someone else!" Yuuri begged as they approached the door of the room that was famously dubbed as the torture chamber by everyone.

"But since Gwendal and Günter have mysteriously disappeared, you'll have to replace them! Now be a good king and let me start..." she said as she turned back to Yuuri. "Think of it as a noble sacrifice!"

And the last thing Yuuri saw was Anissina's sinister smile before he fainted.

Günter stared after his disappearing liege and murmured, "Oh no, I must tell Conrad about this! So he can go and rescue his Majesty!"

Meanwhile... 

Conrad was in the midst of helping Celi out with the flowers when a feeling of bad premonition settled over him... He looked up to the castle.

"I hope Heika hasn't gotten into anything unpleasant..." he murmured to himself. Unfortunately, the king could never keep his fingers out of trouble.

Meanwhile in Anissina's torture chamber, she was staring at the currently fainted king.

"With Heika now unconscious, I can't get him to power my intended machine for tests… Wait! This would be a perfect guinea pig for 'Turning-Time-Back-For-Looks'-kun to work on!"

And what better?

Heika would be the first one to receive the honors!

Rubbing her hands together, face plastered with a grin, Anissina finished adjusting the machine. She stepped back and took a look. Heika was still unconscious. A pity. She would really want him to be awake... but if he was awake, Conrad might find out about the experiment through his shouting and burst in to save him...

Anissina took a closer look at the measurements on the machine. Something about it seemed off... but... she shrugged.

Well, it didn't matter, did it?

Besides, Gwendal and Günter had always survived the failed attempts of her experiments and she could always repair it again if it exploded…

"Heika! Here I come! In a moment, you shall have no more worries about getting wrinkles, and I shall be rich! Here goes!" Anissina screeched happily as she pushed the button and set the machine on.

If only things were that simple...

**BANG! **

A big plume of smoke appeared from Anissina's lab.

Günter was screaming outside for his beloved king. "NOO!"

"I swear if you hurt him, I'll kill you, Anissina!"

Just as Gwendal appeared at the end of the hallway with Conrad, Celi and Wolfram, Anissina stumbled out of her lab, coughing and waving the smoke away. She glared at Günter when she heard that.

"What was that, Gunter?" she asked menacingly.

Günter gulped. "No-nothing..." he stammered.

"Where's his Majesty, Anissina?" Gwendal demanded gruffly

Anissina blinked and snapped her fingers. "Oh! Heika! I'd forgotten about him!"

"Well, he's still in there..." she peered into her destroyed lab. Conrad darted in immediately, praying to the gods that nothing had befallen his godson.

"Heika!" he cried as he dug through the rubble. "Heika, where are you?"

"Oh, Conrad." Anissina said from outside, "You don't have to be so worried. It's not like anyone died from my experiments, right? I'm sure Yuuri Heika will be fine."

"Contrary to your belief, we _nearly _died a few times." Gwendal and Günter murmured in unison as they entered the lab to help Conrad.

"Oh, Heika, I hope you're all right! I, Günter von Christ, will make sure your pains go away as soon as we find you!" Günter gushed as he started to pull the stones away from the strange device.

"Stop talking about my fiancé like that, Günter!" Wolfram retorted heatedly as he entered the room as well.

"Wolfram, you seem to have forgotten that _you _broke up with Heika to marry me." An unexpected presence appeared at the door. Wolfram spun around to see his wife, Elizabeth. They had gotten married just a year ago and Wolfram had returned to the castle while Elizabeth returned to the Bielefield lands with Waltorana.

"Elizabeth! I wasn't… I didn't…" Wolfram stuttered in surprise.

"Of course you weren't expecting me! I return to the capital to find my husband and I find him referring the king as his fiancé! Why did you propose to me in the first place?" Elizabeth demanded heatedly.

"Um…" Wolfram murmured and Elizabeth proceeded to drag him out of the room, giving him a very long lecture on the aspects of being loyal to each other in marriage.

Conrad, Gwendal and Günter all but ignored their younger brother, all of them except Conrad thinking, 'Serves the Little Lord Brat right.'

Then, Conrad stopped in his excavation attempt. "Did you hear that?" he asked his two companions. Gwendal and Günter stopped and listened carefully. In the silence that followed, they could hear a faint moaning coming from the other side of the lab.

"Heika?" Conrad called.

"Nngh…"

"Over here!" Conrad told Gwendal and Günter and led the way to the source of the moaning.

"Heika!" Günter dove in, digging up the debris quickly so that he could unearth his precious Heika. Conrad and Gwendal threw exasperated looks at each other before bending down to help Günter.

Then, all three of them stopped in their tracks. They stared down at the debris in shock until Celi broke the silence.

"What happened?" she asked curiously. Surely Heika wouldn't have been damaged by the explosion or Anissina's experiments… after all, Anissina's experiments were harmless…okay, maybe not exactly that harmless, but still nobody died yet…

"Heika?" Conrad whispered in shock, after a few moments. For the scene in front of them was not what they had been expecting…

A double black wearing a dress…

…Make that a five-year-old double black.

Who bore a remarkable resemblance to Yuuri.


	2. Chapter 1

WordlessDreams: I hope you enjoy this! :) We are going to have some fun writing this... The next chapter is even better~

Akikee: ...

Chapter 1

"Heika?" Conrad said again after a few stunned moments. The young child looked up at him and stared.

"What's wrong, Conrad?" he asked, looking slightly confused. "You look like someone had punched you."

"Heika… you…" Günter started and the child turned to look at him.

"Not you too, Günter. What's wrong? I… oh gods. Anissina kidnapped me, didn't she? Where were you, Conrad? Is something wrong with me? What did her experiment do?" Yuuri asked in panic. Talk about delayed responses.

"Actually, Heika…" Gwendal tried to stop the misunderstanding. "Her experiment was a success. In fact, it turned you into a… a…"

Yuuri blinked at his advisors inability to finish their sentences. "What? What did it turn me into?"

Yuuri stood up albeit a little shakily. He blinked, noticing the sudden difference in height and looked down at himself. He first noticed that he was wearing a dress. A dress that his mother had always given him when he was younger.

The next thing he noticed was the state of his hands and legs. They were much shorter and plumper than his fifteen-year-old build. Which meant that…

"WHAT IS THIS?"

Yuuri stared at his retainers in desperation. "Please tell me this isn't happening!" he begged them while they continued to stare at him in surprise. "Oh no!" he moaned and shifted, thinking that the 'disaster' had abated and nothing bad would happen.

Unfortunately, he did not foresee the _next _incident. He slipped on a piece of debris and plunged through a hole that had appeared in the wall of Anissina's lab and fell towards the hard ground twenty feet below him!

He screamed, "Conrad!" and hit his head on a jutting ledge of stone beneath him. Conrad and the others breathed a sigh of relief, but it was not over yet.

The young king was knocked unconscious when his head collided with the hard surface. His body rolled slightly on the small rock surface—and fell into the empty space beside the ledge.

"Heika!" Conrad called in distress as the king started falling towards the ground again. He made a movement, as if to jump off the floor to grab Yuuri when Gwendal clamped a restricting hand on his shoulder.

"Let me go, Gwendal!" Conrad told his brother angrily and Gwendal stopped him. "We have it under control."

Conrad looked up to see a skeleton flying towards the falling king and catch him in its bony arms. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hm… I would say this experiment was a success. However, the measurements seem to have gone off tangent. He was supposed to turn into a twelve-year-old, not a five-year-old… although the measurements could have been wrong. But a five-year-old appearance is still not too bad, after all…" Anissina mused from where she was standing.

"Anissina!" Conrad spun around suddenly. "What did you do to Heika?"

Anissina seemed surprised by the sudden question and the strange gleam in Conrad's eyes… Hm… Interesting. She would have to talk to Celi about this.

"Heika was the first proud… user of my newest contraption: "Let-Time-Turn-Back-For-You"-kun! Thus, the result." Anissina replied. "Although the explosion destroyed it, I can still repair it. Next time, I shall use Günter as the guinea- er, the test subject!"

Gwendal's eyebrow twitched in annoyance and fear. "What we meant, Anissina, was what was that machine's function?"

Anissina stared at Gwendal until he shifted nervously. "What?" he demanded.

"I never knew you had that much interest in my experiments, Gwendal! This must mean that you want to learn more about them? Then you shall come along with Günter when 'Let-Time-Turn-Back-For-You'-kun is repaired!" Anissina said happily.

"NO!" Gwendal shouted and stopped. He forced the question out through gritted teeth. "What I meant was, what has that machine done to Heika?"

"Oh." Anissina said, looking _slightly_ disappointed. "Well, basically, 'Let-Time-Turn-Back-For-You'-kun is a device that alters your appearance. It can turn you to a twelve-year-old on the outside, but on the inside, you'd still a hundred-year-old, like Gwendal or an eighty-year-old, like Wolfram."

"So… that means that… Heika became a five-year-old on the outside, but he still is a sixteen-year-old on the inside…?" Günter asked.

Anissina nodded. "Well, I can't guarantee that he would still have his memories after he receives any shocks to the brain after the experiment is completed. But according to my notes, his mind should still be somewhat fragile and if he hits his head hard, he might lose some of his memories."

Günter almost sighed in relief when Conrad spoke up. "Shock to the brain? Like, hitting his head on a hard ledge when he fell?"

Anissina nodded, "Yes."

Conrad turned to the approaching Kohi and stared at the unconscious child fearfully. "He hit his head when he fell from here."

There was a moment of silence before Anissina moved. She slammed the destroyed door open and shouted at a nearby soldier. "GET GISELA! IT'S THE KING!"

"How is it, Gisela?" Günter asked his daughter as she exited the royal chambers. "Is Heika alright?"

Gisela shook her head. "I can't tell. His body is fine, but he hasn't woken up yet. My advice is that someone sits with him until he wakes up. He'll need to see someone that he can trust beside him."

"Conrad, you go." Gwendal told him immediately.

Gisela nodded in agreement and continued, "Then, we need to change him out of those clothes. Why is he wearing girls clothing anyway?" she ended that on a frustrated and amused note.

"I'll go find some suitable clothing. Celi-sama, would you like to help me?" Günter volunteered and the ex-Maoh nodded her blonde head.

"Wolfram and I will tend to the country affairs while he's unconscious." Gwendal grumped and left immediately. The other dispersed to do their own tasks. Conrad stood outside the royal chambers for a moment longer before he pushed the doors open.

He walked over to the magnificent bed, noticing that the lump lying beneath the covers were larger than a five-year-old ought to be. Feeling suspicious, Conrad reached out and shook the 'lump' gently.

"Heika?" he called.

The 'lump' was cold and hard. Conrad pulled the covers away. In place of the king's body was a bolster. Conrad stared at it until he heard giggling. It was coming from under the bed.

The knight dropped to his knees and peered under the bed. He smiled in relief. In the shadows of the bed was a small double-black child. The child beamed at him happily when he saw Conrad and reached out his arms, begging to be picked up.

"Conrad!" the child, Yuuri squealed happily. "Conrad!"

Conrad blinked in surprise. He reached out to pull his liege out from under the bed while chiding, "You shouldn't do that, Heika. You could have scared us."

"But, Conrad!" Yuuri protested, "It was fun!"

Conrad smiled gently, "I'm sure it was." He replied as he set the boy down on the bed. "Now, Yuuri, tell me something. Can you still remember everything that happened before this?"

Yuuri blinked in confusion and Conrad elaborated, "What's the last thing you remember before today?"

Yuuri frowned in concentration. "Um… There was the Christmas night that Sho-chan and I were alone. He got the moon down for me!" he beamed at Conrad when he remembered that. "Then I woke up and I'm here!"

Conrad stared at the child in amazement. "Then how did you know me?"

Yuuri stared at him, uncomprehending. "What do you mean, Conrad? Aren't you my Nazukeoya? I gave my rubber ducky to you when I was young."

"That… That wasn't what… How did you know…" Conrad stumbled, the questions piling up in his mind.

"How did you know that you gave me your rubber ducky?" Conrad finally asked. Yuuri had been but a baby when Conrad had seen him. It would have been impossible for him to know that!

"Hm… good question." Yuuri laughed, "I don't know. I just do." He replied cryptically and smiled at Conrad.

"You…" Conrad started then he stopped. He would have to talk to Gisela about this. It was too complex for him to understand on his own.

"Ne, Conrad." Yuuri dragged him back by tugging on his sleeve. "Can we go out and play? I wouldn't get into any trouble. I promise."

Conrad was about to turn the king's plea down when he caught sight of the pleading look. He melted and nodded mutely. "Yay!" Yuuri cheered and held his hands out, clearly preferring Conrad to carry him.

"Only for a few minutes, though." Conrad told the king warningly. "You should be resting after Anissina's experiment."

"It'll be alright, Conrad. Besides, Julia says that I'm fine." Yuuri told his knight as Conrad bought him into the garden.

Conrad nearly dropped his charge in surprise when he heard that. Julia said it was fine for him to go and play? What was the meaning of this?

"Conrad?" Yuuri looked at his Nazukeoya in concern. Conrad was staring at him with the strangest expression on his face. Conrad opened his mouth and closed it again.

"What is it, Conrad? You can tell me if you want to." Yuuri said.

"How… Who is Julia?" Conrad asked finally, "How do you know her?"

Yuuri stared at him skeptically. "Come on, Conrad, you don't mean you've forgotten Julia, my previous reincarnation?"

Conrad's heart stopped when he heard that.

"Well, she's talking to me, so I know that she's my previous reincarnation and that you knew her a long time ago. In fact, she entrusted her soul to you to be bought to Earth." Yuuri told him in a matter-of-fact tone. "Well, at least that's what she says. I'm not really sure though. I mean, you're my Nazukeoya and I did give you my toy, so I should remember you, right?"

Conrad stared at the child with barely concealed surprise. Yuuri stared back, and grew impatient after a while. "Conrad, I want to go play." He whined when it was obvious that his Nazukeoya had drifted off to who-knows-where.

Conrad blinked and set the child down quickly, still trying to absorb the piece of information Yuuri had given him.

Yuuri could hear Julia's voice.

What did this mean?

Yuuri giggled and ran his hands over the flowers.

"_Celi's Red Sigh." _He stroked a finger over the red petal.

Then, he turned his attention to a beautiful yellow flower. _"Beautiful Wolfram."_

"_Secret Gwendal." _A demure light blue bell-shaped flower.

A beautiful dark blue flower with jagged shaped leaves. _"Conrad Stands Upon the Earth."_

Yuuri smiled brightly. Then, he spun around and called to Conrad, who was standing in the shadows of the castle. He looked to be deeply absorbed in his thoughts. A mischievous idea flashed across his mind and Yuuri grinned.

He silently crept up to his Nazukeoya, keeping close to the shadows. To his delight, the man had not even noticed his advance. Grinning at his luck, Yuuri ran silently and flung himself off the ground towards Conrad. He collided and heard Conrad gasp from the sudden shock as both of them tumbled towards the ground.

Yuuri laughed happily as he sat up on Conrad's body. "Gotcha, Nazukeoya!" he told Conrad cheekily when he saw the stunned expression on the Mazoku's face.

"What were you thinking of? You looked distracted." Yuuri asked, peering down at Conrad with a big smile.

Conrad blinked and smiled back at the boy before he attempted to sit up. "It was nothing, Yuuri." He told his child liege as he lifted the boy to the ground.

Yuuri frowned at him disapprovingly. "It's something if you were so distracted not to notice me."

Conrad asked teasingly, "And when have you become so interested in what I was thinking, Heika?"

"It's Yuuri, Nazukeoya!" the child immediately replied and blinked. Then, he pouted, "You're trying to change the topic! Stop that! Julia says if you keep doing that, she'll tell me about the time when you lost the bet to Waltorana!" Conrad blanched slightly.

"She…" Conrad stammered, at a loss for words.

"Ne, Conrad, what did she mean by that? That you lost a bet to Waltorana?" Yuuri tugged at him, a frown of confusion set upon his fair features.

"Um…" Conrad fumbled for an answer. He knew what Julia was referring to: the bet that he and Waltorana had made when they were very young. Of course, Conrad had lost the bet terribly and he didn't want his king to know of the embarrassing consequences because they were… simply inappropriate.

"It's just a little inside joke." Conrad finally said. He knew it was a lame excuse, but he didn't know what to tell the king!

"Wouldn't you tell me?" Yuuri begged. Conrad groaned inwardly. Yuuri had aimed his puppy-dog expression at him and he found it hard to say no to the child.

"I…" Conrad deliberated.

"Conrad? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Yuuri?"

Safe! Conrad thought in relief as the new voice interrupted their conversation. He turned to meet the curious gaze of his brother, Wolfram.

"Who's that brat with you?" Wolfram asked and Conrad felt his heart plummet when he saw the unhappy look on Yuuri's face.

This would not be good.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Akikee: Chapter 2 here! Thank you for reading this story, and thanks for the review! I shall apologize for any grammatical and spelling errors in advance. So enjoy reading it! **_

_**WordlessDreams: Hello all! So, we're back again. Akikee and I have split up the workload, she takes the even chaps and me, the odd ones. **__**Thanks, Miyuki Meiru, for your review!**_

Chapter 2

Eyeing Wolfram with distaste, Yuuri pouted as he ignored him and resumed tugging at Conrad, wanting to get his attention back at him. Conrad just smiled sheepishly at him as he lifted him up to his arms, shrugging at Wolfram, rather amused by the drama that was about to unfold.

"Who's that brat with you?" Wolfram repeated, sticking a finger out to poke at Yuuri's chubby cheeks, only to have Yuuri growling at him, attempting to bite his fingers off.

"Who are you calling brat, you blondie excuse for a living?" Yuuri snarled at him as Conrad grabbed him by the nape of his neck to stop him from biting Wolfram's finger off. "Conrad, let me bite of those fingers! That'll teach him not to mess with me!"

Keeping his finger back, Wolfram frowned at Yuuri as he tried to place where he had seen this brat before. Black hair…black eyes…hmm…it's rather rare for a double black to appear in the castle… The only ones here that are double black are Yuuri and Murata…He sure does look quite familiar…he looked like…like…

"Are you Murata?"

Conrad could swear that the look on Yuuri's face was priceless. He couldn't help but chuckle slightly, only earning a reproachful glare from Yuuri, whose pout had turned into a scowl that made him look cute instead.

"Hmm…That can't be right…Murata had messier hair than yours, and he couldn't see without his glasse-" Suddenly, Wolfram felt rather sick in the guts as realization struck him. "Yuu…Yuuri?"

"It's heika to you," Yuuri said smugly as he struggled to be let down by Conrad. "What big nerves you have, calling me brat! Well, Julia told me you sure didn't think of me as a little brat while we're in bed, Wolfram. Instead, you're always the one _begging _for more from me didn't you? Little Wolfie?"

Face turning a bright crimson, Wolfram felt his cheeks and ears hot with embarrassment and didn't even heard the part about Julia while Conrad looked at him with his eyebrows raised and his lips somehow rather thin. Yuuri looked triumphant as he looked at Wolfram's reaction. However, he noticed that Conrad looked a bit…unhappy?

"I didn't-"

"Wolfram, dear! Where are you? Oh! Where have you been? I've been searching high and low for you!" a familiar voice floated through as Elizabeth strutted in, her hands on her hip as she approached the trio. "Why are all of you here? Eh…who's this cute little boy here?"

"It's Yuuri-heika," Wolfram huffed.

"Yuuri-heika? Why had he turned into…a…a kid?"

"You should ask Anissina," Conrad replied curtly as he picked up Yuuri and walked away, leaving both Wolfram and Elizabeth standing there, looking rather confused by Conrad's rather cold tone.

"What happened to Sir Weller?" Elizabeth queried as she looked at Conrad's back, then back at Wolfram who still look rather flushed.

"Beats me," Wolfram shrugged as he led Elizabeth back into the castle, feeling rather relieved that Yuuri hadn't spouted those things they had did in the past in front of Elizabeth. He was sure that if Elizabeth heard any of such things, she'd surely chase him down with a big knife and chop him to pieces before throwing them to feed the dogs and paint the whole castle with his blood… Like this, the castle will really earn the name of Blood Pledge Castle… Shivering at the mere thought of it, Wolfram gulped.

"Conrad, are you unhappy? Did I say something that upset you? I'm sorry,"" Yuuri said timidly as he glanced up to look at Conrad's rather stern face. Seeing that Conrad didn't reply him, Yuuri buried his face in Conrad's chest as he tried to recall exactly what he had said that made Conrad so irritated.

Feeling Yuuri at his chest, Conrad wanted to smack himself for causing Yuuri to feel sorry. He should at least try to mask his expression and keep his feelings to himself. However, he had really felt rather upset hearing Yuuri saying those stuffs he and Wolfram had done before. In fact, he felt jealous after hearing what Yuuri had said. He didn't know why, but he just felt that it hurts to listen to those stuffs. It really hurts, as if someone had driven a sword right into his heart. No, it hurts more than that. It's as if someone had driven a thousand swords into him and continued stabbing. Why was he suddenly jealous over such stuff?

"Conrad…Conrad, sorry…" Yuuri sniffed as he tugged at the front of Conrad's shirt and stared at him with tear-filled eyes.

Feeling his heart gave a lurch, Conrad hugged Yuuri closer to him, taking in the scent of Yuuri's hair. "Silly. Don't cry. I'm not angry at you."

"Really? You're not angry at me?"

"Yes, heika. Now dry your tears," Conrad smiled, rather fond of the smell of Yuuri and the body warmth he provided until he heard chuckling.

"Yay! Conrad's not angry with me anymore! The waterworks really work well! Thank you Julia!" came Yuuri's laughter as he jumped out from Conrad's arms and ran towards the castle.

Waterworks? Julia? Although he felt rather cheated, Conrad couldn't help but chased behind Yuuri, laughing as he went.

"Now Conrad can't find me!" Yuuri giggled to himself as he climbed up to the shelf in Gwendal's study room that was filled with different soft toys. Missing his footing, he nearly dropped to the ground, but luckily, he grabbed on to the shelf, preventing him from falling.

Finally reaching the shelf, Yuuri heaved a deep breath and glanced down. Feeling rather nauseous at the height where he was looking down, he gulped and sat down.

"Maybe I shouldn't climb so high…" he mumbled to himself as he looked about the shelf.

There were many different kind of soft toy; some were made with cotton and some were hand knitted by Gwendal himself. Chuckling slightly, a sudden idea popped into Yuuri's mind when his eye caught a small knot on a teddy bear as he grabbed on to it, turning it around in front of his eyes.

"Gwendal must be short of wool with him knitting all these teddy bears non-stop. Let me help him with it!" Yuuri said as he pulled at the knot. The knot was undone as Yuuri kept pulling it, and soon, a pile of wool was already piling at Yuuri's foot. It seemed so addictive that Yuuri found that he can't stop pulling at it, until he came face to face with only the teddy bear's leg left.

"Um…Gwendal would be happy?" Yuuri murmured to himself as he looked at the leg, somehow feeling rather afraid suddenly. "Yes, he'll be happy as I got him more wool! It's good to recycle! Maybe he'll like some cotton too…"

And so, with that thought, Yuuri carried on pulling more and more before operating on the cotton made soft toys.

"Conrad! Conrad! You lost! You hadn't managed to find me!" Yuuri said happily as he ran towards a rather worried-looking Conrad and jumped onto him.

Catching Yuuri into a bear hug, Conrad couldn't help but felt relieved. He had been worried sick when he couldn't find Yuuri after he ran into the castle. Now that he's safe and fine, he could feel the rock in his chest gone as he sighed.

"Conrad! Guess where I had gone to! I went to get you a present! See, do you like it?" Yuuri smiled happily as he took out a small black kitten from within his shirt and pushed it into Conrad's hand.

Looking at the soft toy, Conrad couldn't place where he had seen this black kitten before…he had seen it! Somewhere…it's so familiar…he'd seen it in…

"Heika! You're safe! I'm so afraid that witch Anissina would come and put you into some strange machine again!" Gunter's screech came breaking into Conrad's train of thoughts.

Snatching Yuuri from Conrad's arms, Gunter hugged Yuuri tight, nearly squeezing the daylights out of him. Struggling to get away from Gunter who already started giving sloppy kisses on his cheeks, Yuuri pushed Gunter's nose away with disgust.

"Here, Gunter! I have a gift for you too!" Yuuri cried hurriedly as he stuffed another soft toy into Gunter's hand as he slipped from Gunter's evil clutches and ran straight for Conrad.

"Heika! Oh, oh! Heika, I couldn't even describe my joy, my honour, to have received a gift from you! I would appreciate it and protect it with my life! Oh, how cute this teddy bear is! The brown body and the-umm…Heika, why is this teddy bear so familiar? Did you happen to…"

A loud yell permeated through the whole castle. Startled, Conrad grabbed Yuuri and followed Gunter to the direction of where the yell came from. They recognized it as Gwendal's voice. Something terrible must have happened for him to yell like that. Something so terrible… Yuuri gave a small shudder as they approached Gwendal's study room. Wasn't Gwendal supposed to be overjoyed? Or perhaps he's too happy that he's crying with joy? That must be it! He's crying with joy!

However, that didn't seem like the case right now…

"Mu-my…my…Who? Who did that?" came Gwendal's voice as Gunter kicked the door open and a distressed Gwendal came into view.

"What happened? Somebody tried to assassinate you? Or they wanted to assassinate Yuuri Heika?" Gunter shouted as he ran towards Gwendal.

"Some…somebody…somebody assassinated my…my soft toys!"

Stopping dead in their tracks, Conrad and Gunter looked at each other, and then back at Gwendal who was still mourning in front of the pile of wool and a pile of cotton with some shredded fabric on the ground. Yuuri peered out at Gwendal from Conrad's chest and tried to search for a smile on Gwendal's face, but saw none. Looking at Yuuri, Gunter gulped.

"Heika, you didn't happen to get the teddy bear from Gwendal, do you?"

That's it! Realization came striking Conrad hard as if a whole bucket of cold water was splashed on him. He knew where the black kitten had come from. It came from Gwendal's happy animal family collection…

"Gwendal, why aren't you happy? I'd specially get all those wool and cotton for you!" Yuuri said hesitantly.

Just as he finished his query, Gwendal's furious eyes shot at Yuuri who swallowed nervously as he glanced at Conrad and Gunter, whose expressions were unreadable.

"What did you say?"

"I wanted to get more wool and cotton for you, so I merely…merely gave those toys a makeover?"

Okay, this doesn't look exactly good…

"What? Is that true?" Ranjeel exclaimed from this throne as he looked at his advisor, Belire.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The spies in Mazoku had confirmed that king had been turned into a powerless child," Belire replied as he bowed at Ranjeel.

"Then it's time to have a happy meeting with dear Yuuri." Ranjeel smirked.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N (Akikee): *stares at WordlessDreams in awe* Yeah, she always managed to come out with the long and nice chapters very quickly…ha, anyway, thanks for reading once again. Thank you for the kind reviewer too! You're very much appreciated.

WordlessDreams: ahaha... You praise me too much, Akikee. I just had a lot of free time during the last update and... well, it's the plot bunny working. :) anyway, Happy New Year! Thank you, Miyuku Meiru, for your kind reviews!

Chapter 3

"Gwendal, you don't mean to exactly…"

"He deserves this, Conrad! Don't try to stop me!"

"He's just a child…"

"He's needed this training ever since he came to Blood Pledge Castle and Shin Makoku! Look how he's treated me! I've done all the work and this is my repayment! My…" Gwendal's voice broke. "My poor toys! They were assassinated by that monster!"

Said 'monster' was a young (seemingly) five-year-old double black child. He was dragged across the courtyard of the castle by a furious black-haired Mazoku. Conrad and Günter followed them, the advisors attempting to placate Gwendal's fury.

"I… I didn't do anything bad, did I?" Yuuri asked and shrank back when Gwendal glared at him.

"Come now, Gwendal." Günter started, "Even that sort of punishment is too much for Heika…"

"This is necessary for the sake of Shin Makoku, Günter! Don't try to stop me! This… this _brat_ deserves it! He must stay in the stables for a week and no one is allowed to assist him in escaping his… his house arrest!"

Being angry with him was fine; throwing him in a strange place for the night was fine. But there was just one thing that Yuuri could not tolerate and that was anyone calling him a brat.

"I'M NOT A BRAT!"

Gwendal and Günter jumped upon hearing Yuuri's sudden shout and Conrad blinked before he remembered the events that had transpired before.

"You rightfully deserve that title." Gwendal retorted as he quickly recovered and threw open the doors to the old, abandoned stable on the West side of Blood Pledge Castle.

"I do not! And watch that tone of yours! You're speaking to the Maoh of Shin Makoku after all!" Yuuri protested as he started to struggle and Gwendal scowled at him before he shoved the child into the stable.

"I don't care what you think! You deserve this when you came to Shin Makoku uninvited. Be glad that you had Conrad and Günter to keep me from strangling you when you first came! And you should be grateful that I did not decide to send you on a mission with the soldiers to prove your worthiness!" Gwendal shouted angrily at the boy. "And since you decided to destroy my… my…"

Gwendal's voice sounded choked for a moment before he recovered. "Since you decided to destroy my possessions, you shall pay for it, _brat_!"

"I didn't try to destroy your things! I thought you… you'd be happy if I helped…" Yuuri's lip quivered for a moment and the three who were watching him yearned to rush forward and reassure the young boy that everything was alright.

Finally, Günter broke the pause. "I'm sorry, Heika. But I do believe that Gwendal is right in this matter."

"What?" Conrad and Gwendal stared at him in astonishment.

"Well, if what Anissina said is true, Heika is now a five-year-old child. He does not understand the implications of what he has done and if he does it again... He would be getting a bad impression from us and he would continue to do it… And if he did it on someone who does not have as much tolerance as Gwendal or as kind and patient as Gwendal can be…" Günter explained and trailed off. His two comrades clearly understood what he was implying. But Yuuri did not.

The king's eyes filled and his lips quivered, like he was going to start crying very soon. "What are you talking about, Günter?" his voice was barely above a whisper, feeling entirely betrayed.

"What the two of you are suggesting is preposterous! Are you serious about shutting a child in the stables? He could catch a cold!" Conrad immediately protested.

"He must learn his lesson." Gwendal was firm on his opinion, at least. Günter wavered between his loyalty to the king and the need to be doing the right thing. Finally, he said, "I agree with Gwendal."

"You can't just do this to him, it is not-" Conrad argued but was cut off by Gwendal.

"Are you suggesting that the king continues his behavior? If we don't discipline him now, there's no telling what he might do in the future!" Gwendal pointed out.

"That is true, but you do not have to resort to such harsh ways to teach Heika-" Conrad told his brother.

"We must teach him that destroying other people's possessions is a wrong thing, Conrad. You're too soft. Heika cannot continue this sort of actions and expect to be forgiven. He must be punished. And I do not think that leaving Heika here for a day is a bad idea, he will need the time to reflect on his actions." Günter stopped Conrad.

"But-" Conrad started again before Gwendal glared at him.

"Are you suggesting that we are committing treason?" Gwendal asked sharply. Conrad breathed in sharply.

"You know that I did not mean that, but this punishment is too stern-" Conrad replied before Günter interrupted.

"You can come back to check on him every hour, Conrad. After all, I'm sure Heika will be alright with being alone by himself for an hour." Günter suggested and Conrad caved in.

"Conrad?" Yuuri asked, fearing the response he would receive. He knew that his knight would agree with the other two but he still hoped…

"I'm sorry, Heika, I know that you do not want to stay in here alone." Conrad spoke up with a resigned air. "But what Günter says is true. And while I do not agree with Gwendal's ways…" Conrad shot his older brother an irritated look, "You have to be punished for undoing his work— I mean, murdering," Conrad amended hastily when Gwendal glared, "—his toys."

"And that is the way it should be!" Gwendal proclaimed triumphantly.

The doors slammed close, leaving Yuuri in the darkness. The child blinked. He looked around and bit his lip, creeping towards the door slowly, trying not to make any sounds. He could see the shadows clumping together, forming and transforming into dark monsters with eerie glowing eyes and sinister smiles. His imagination running into overdrive.

"Con…rad?" his voice sounded very small in the darkness and Yuuri was barely aware of his clenching fists.

"Günter…?" his tears ran down his face and he bit his lip as hard as he could. There was a brief pain and he gasped, before tasting the coppery liquid running down his lip. He sobbed slightly in fear.

"Gwendal…" the young child whispered, hoping with all his heart that the Mazoku would appear and forgive him… "I'm sorry, Gwendal!"

No one came. The dark started to rise and crept toward him steadily. Tendrils of darkness reaching out for the young flesh that throbbed with life and fear…

"Conrad!" Yuuri's voice raised slightly in panic. "Conrad!" his voice became shrill.

Alas, there was no one near the old stables at that moment. However, there was a stallion that had wandered out from his stables when Dorcas had been summoned urgently to help Gisela gather some berries.

The stallion happened to hear the fear-filled cries coming from the abandoned stables nearby. Rearing in reaction to the fear and neighed mightily before he galloped to the shut doors and attacked them with his forelegs.

Luckily, the doors were quite weak from the neglect the stables had received after such a long time and they collapsed easily. The afternoon light filtered into the stables. A child—a bleeding one, at that—sat merely inches away from the stallion's legs. His black eyes were fear-filled and unfocused.

The stallion whinnied and bent down to nose the child. He got a whiff of a familiar scent and stared at the young child for a moment before recognizing who it was. It was his master. The King of Shin Makoku, the Maoh.

What was he doing here? Much less, his weird child appearance when his real appearance was older?

"Wha-?" his master seemed confused before he blinked. "Julia…" an odd sort of silence descended upon the boy and the stallion watched as he nodded, as if in a conversation before he turned back.

"…Ao?"

The dark-clothed figure knelt in front of the king of Dai Shimaron.

"Our men are heading to Shin Makoku right as we are speaking now, your Majesty." The figure reported, bowing its head.

"Excellent." King Ranjeel smiled with cruel satisfaction. Soon… he would have Shin Makoku right under his control…

"Where are their locations?" Ranjeel demanded imperiously. He barely noticed the figure stiffening.

"Your Majesty, I assure you…" the man started.

"Well, it's obvious that the king must know everything going on, isn't that right?" Ranjeel interrupted, sneering at the figure.

"Yes, your Majesty." There was a trace of hatred in the words. "They are in a village near the capital of Shin Makoku. A one day's ride would get them to the capital from their current location."

"Well, inform your men that they have to capture the Maoh as soon as possible. I will not tolerate any failure!" Ranjeel announced. "Dismissed."

The king gave an airy wave and turned to his advisor, starting to talk in a loud voice about the negotiations to be bought up with Shin Makoku once they caught the Maoh.

The man collected itself and left the throne room. One day, he swore, one day, Ranjeel would get what he deserved!

Yuuri peered around the garden and scowled briefly when he saw Gwendal hurrying into a room with Conrad and Günter.

"Ready, Ao?" he whispered to the black stallion behind him. Ao whinnied softly and nudged Yuuri. Yuuri giggled and ran his hand over the horse's nose briefly before hugging him.

"Thank you for helping me, Ao." Yuuri whispered. Ao snorted and licked Yuuri's face.

"Stop it!" Yuuri laughed silently and led the way into the castle.

It was a miracle that no one was around at the moment, all of them were attending to their daily tasks; the maids hanging the clothes, the soldiers and Gisela in the training field and his advisors doing some paperwork. Thus, this was the perfect opportunity to spring this on them.

Yuuri reasoned that it was repayment for leaving him in that horrible place. To be more honest, it was also for revenge. He felt slightly betrayed and hurt that they could have made such a decision so swiftly and ruthlessly.

"You know what to do, right?" Yuuri whispered to Ao as he quickly led four more horses out of the stables. "Your friends would help you?"

In silent reply to Yuuri's question, the five bent down and covered Yuuri in horse slobber.

"Ew…" Yuuri laughed as he wiped some of it with his sleeve.

Ao snorted and led his friends into the castle. Yuuri watched them leave with a smirk on his innocent face.

This was going to be fun…

Conrad sighed and looked out of the window. Gwendal was still upset about his 'murdered' toys. It was understandable that he would be furious after such a situation and Conrad knew that the man did not completely blame Yuuri for his actions since he had allowed Conrad and Günter to keep the stuff toys that Yuuri had given to the two retainers.

The two had tried to talk Gwendal into forgiving Yuuri and allowing the boy to come out from the stables. However, Gwendal had remained adamant that this was the king's punishment and he was to stay in there until Gwendal went to collect him.

Gwendal had went so far as to try and prevent Conrad from checking on his king. He had been assigned more paperwork than his usual load and he had to write extra reports on his border patrols. He wished that he could go and see Yuuri, but all his work were due _today_, and that showed how much Gwendal wished for him to leave Yuuri alone.

He wasn't sure that Yuuri could stand being in the dark for that long, though. The child had confessed to a fear of the dark when he was young to Conrad before this de-aging incident had occurred.

If Yuuri's fear of the dark had come back with his change to a five-year-old…

Conrad shuddered to think of what he would find. And what the consequences would be.

After all, his liege was a mixture of a frightened Earth-bred Mazoku and a mischievous Wincott…

"AH! WHAT IS THIS!"

**NEIGH!**

Conrad sighed as he stood up. It seemed as if the disaster were taking place right now. In the form of horses.

Yuuri snickered as he stuffed the earthworms into Wolfram's bed. It was a mean thing to do, he knew. But he wanted to repay the Mazoku for calling him a brat. He'd done Günter's bed and Gwendal's bed as well, much to his satisfaction. Both of them had thrown him into the stables. Which was pretty mean, Julia told Yuuri. They could have told him not to do that using other methods.

The only one who was spared was Conrad. Both Julia and Yuuri had a soft spot for him and he was spared from their mischievous actions.

_Conrad's too nice to be pranked on… He doesn't deserve it…_

Julia had told him that and Yuuri agreed.

"HEIKA! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR THIS!"

Yuuri shut the door to Wolfram's behind him silently. The voice undoubtedly belonged to Gwendal, who would discover that his 'dead toys' were being chewed on by Ao. Since the Mazoku had clearly not wanted the extra cotton and stuffing, why let it go to waste?

"URGH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

Hm… it would be a good idea to leave immediately. Besides, it wasn't as if Gwendal wanted him around.

Thinking about that made Yuuri's eyes fill. He knew that Gwendal wasn't very nice, but did he really hate Yuuri now that all this had happened? It didn't matter if Yuuri couldn't remember everything, Julia had told him of how he had arrived in Shin Makoku, well, not really but at least she had told him of everyone's response.

Did Gwendal really hate him?

Would Conrad hate him?

Yuuri felt his lip quiver at the thought of Conrad hating him. Maybe he would… Maybe…Maybe Yuuri should leave, stop making trouble for them. He knew that what he had done would be a bother to others… they would consider him a burden. Their child Maoh would be a burden to them.

A tear spilled down his cheek. Yuuri barely recognized his surroundings. It seemed as if he had landed up near the West Wing of the Castle, where no one inhabited.

"They don't want me…" Yuuri sobbed to himself, firm in his belief that his retainers detested his existence. He heard Julia's voice speak, but the wave of grief was so strong that it drowned her voice out.

"I wish… I wish…" Yuuri sobbed, one hand trying to scrub away the flood of tears as he spoke. But before he could complete his wish, a flapping noise interrupted his speech. Yuuri looked up and got the fright of his life when he saw a skeleton hovering near him.

Yes, _hovering. _The skeleton had wings.

Yuuri blinked, amidst his tears. He seemed startled at the presence of the skeleton and fear seemed to rise in his eyes when he heard Julia.

_Don't be frightened, Yuuri. Let me make the introductions. This is a Kotsuhitsuku, otherwise known as Kohi._

"…Kohi?" Yuuri sniffed, tears no longer streaming down his face.

The Kohi clattered its jaw together to make a reply.

Yuuri, somehow making sense of its language, stared at the skeleton with wide, hopeful eyes. "Really? You can get me away from here? Are you sure? Conrad and the others won't worry?"

In reply, the Kohi lunged at him and pulled him into the air. Yuuri shrieked, closing his eyes tightly. He felt the rush of air against his face and only dared to open his eyes after some time. He stared at the land of Shin Makoku from where he was and felt a smile spread over his face.

He breathed in deeply, feeling the heavy oppression from the Blood Pledge Castle fall away. He had not noticed how bad the atmosphere at the Castle was, it was practically suffocating him.

Yuuri laughed, releasing a little of the tension in his young, small body. "Thanks, Kohi! You're a life-saver!"

The skeleton clattered noisily at him and Yuuri blinked before he responded awkwardly, "Uh… what a life-saver means, huh… it's hard to explain…"


	5. Chapter 4

_**Akirina: So sorry for the extremely long wait... First, I went to China for 6 weeks, hence I was not able to post during that duration of time (also because I had to study and using the computer to upload wasn't an option). Then 2 weeks after I returned, the school gifted me with an absolutely wonderful gift of MYEs (Mid-year Examinations), thus making it more important that I catch up on what I missed while in China... So, anyway, enjoy!**_

_**Akikee (A/N): I'm so sorry for the long wait. I know I'm so inconsistent in updates nowadays. Sorry…really, especially to Akirina because you're always so efficient in updating… Well, so I'm writing chapter 4 as you all know, and thanks for the reviews. **_

_**CrimsonQueen24: Well, I'm glad that you enjoy reading the story, and thanks for your review. I know Akirina replied your review, but here's me adding more to it. Basically, I agree Gwendal was a bit too harsh to Yuuri, but still, as it'd be explained in this chapter—he'd just overreacted. Well, he's repentant, so don't worry. About the part about Yuuri not acting like a five-year-old kid, well, I guess it's a point that needs to be improved then. Don't worry, Akirina and I will try to sort things out, and I'm sure things will turn out fine. Once again, thank you for your review! **_

_**I'm sorry I can't reply to all of the other reviews, but thanks anyway! Perhaps when it's my turn to type the chapter, I'll try to be a bit more interactive and reply to them. So, let's get on to the chapter. Read and enjoy! **_

"GET THAT HORSE OUT OF MY ROOM!" that was undoubtedly from an infuriated Gwendal as he witnessed the state his room was in. A horse! A darn, freaking, neighing horse that seemed way too familiar, was chewing its way through his soft toys! No! They had just suffered a horrible fate, thanks to Yuuri, and now they're going to be eaten by this horse? No way! Not in a million, billion, gazillion years!

"OUT! OUT!"

Gunter and Conrad had rushed to his room once again, face flushed from the running as they barged in, both demanding an explanation for the screaming and shouting that had come from Gwendal. Upon seeing Ao in the room, chewing happily on its way, both sighed as they looked at each other, mind clearly having the same thought: Gwendal should really get a life and stop being overly obsessed with his soft toys…

"What are the both of you looking at? Help me with getting this horse out!" Gwendal bellowed as he grabbed at the reins of Ao and tried to drag him out of the room.

"Wait! Why is Ao here? Isn't he supposed to be in the stables…?" Gunter's voice faltered before he could finish his sentence.

Something inside Conrad struck as his face turned pale. Without another word, he sprinted to the stables. Oh gods…he just knew that leaving Yuuri alone in the stables weren't the best option as an punishment, but he still allowed Gwendal to carry it out! Would Yuuri hate him for doing so? Praying hard to all the gods, Conrad hoped nothing had happened to Yuuri. Nothing must happen to him.

Yuuri was enthralled by the beautiful scenery up on the hill near the Blood Pledge Castle. Lying on the patch of soft grass, Yuuri looked at the clear blue sky, feeling his heart lightening and his mood getting better. This whiff of fresh air was surely better than the stale and smelly stables… He hoped that Gwendal would learn his lesson well. That would surely teach him not to mess with him!

Turning his focus on the Kohi which was in mid-air beside him, Yuuri smiled gratefully, appreciative that the Kohi had brought him to such a wonderful place. The hill was covered with colourful flowers in different shapes and sizes. Chuckling to himself, Yuuri got up from the grass patch and plucked a yellow dandelion and twirled it with his fingers. Perhaps he should make a crown with these flowers and give them to Conrad as an apology for his mischief? Yes, he shall do it, but Gunter and Gwendal won't have it though. That's for keeping him in the stables!

"Kohi! Look, do you one want some flowers too?" he asked the skeleton that had landed beside him, its teeth clattering together while nodding its head vigorously. "I take that as a yes."

With that, Yuuri started plucking the flowers from different stems and weaved them into a flower crown. The process was tedious as the flowers kept falling apart, but it was still fun. Yuuri even tried teaching the Kohi how to weave them, but of course, the poor Kohi couldn't even hold the tiny flowers properly, let alone weave them into a crown.

"Yay! It's done! I'm sure Conrad would love it. Do you like yours, Kohi?" Yuuri queried happily as he placed the flower crown on the Kohi's skull, then took the one meant for Conrad and examined it.

The only reply Yuuri got was a series of clattering again. Sighing, Yuuri thought to himself why he didn't get a better companion instead.

"Let's go Kohi. I don't want Conrad to get worrie-"

Yuuri never got a chance to finish his sentence because a group of people wearing the uniform of Dai Shimaron's army came out from nowhere, circling him. A rather tall man dressed in an amethyst suit with a black cloak dismounted from his horse and advanced towards Yuuri as he smiled.

"Oh good grace, the Maoh is actually making flower crowns!" Belire mocked as he bowed, his shoulder-length raven hair falling in front, covering half his face. "My greetings to you Maoh. I guess every king needs his own stress-relief activity."

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Yuuri demanded, not liking the look of Belire. He gave him the impression of some cunning fox, plus his sarcastic tone had put off all chance of them staying all warm and fuzzy together. Keeping a cautious eye at Belire, Yuuri looked about for the nearest escape route.

"It seemed that Ranjeel wanted to capture you as hostage my dear. Now, if you'd just cooperate…"

The Kohi flew at top speed towards Belire and attempted to lift him off the ground, but to no avail. Instead, Belire unsheathed his sword and attacked the Kohi before it even reached him, sending it shattering into broken pieces.

"Oops," he smiled as he levelled his eyes with Yuuri's, "I guess your dearest companion won't be able to join us for tea in Dai Shimaron?"

"NO!" Yuuri cried in distress as he watched the bones falling to the ground in slow motion. "KOHI! What did you do to him?"

Raising his eyebrows slightly, Belire merely gave a smirk and advanced towards Yuuri.

"Now, if you'd cooperated in the beginning, nobody would get hurt," he shook his head, eyes shining with mockery.

"Don't come any closer! Or I'll…I'll…"

"What would you do? Throw those flowers on me? Attack me with your flower swords? I don't think so. Get him!" Belire ordered to his men as they closed in on Yuuri who tried to squirm his way out of the circle was blocked by the throng of soldiers. Soon, he was grabbed by the nape of his neck by one of them and was handed over to Belire who grinned at him as if he'd hit jackpot.

Glaring hatefully at Belire, Yuuri could only kick his legs at him and thrash about. However, Belire seemed oblivious about it. As he proceeded to his horse, ready to set off to Dai Shimaron to report to Ranjeel.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Yuuri yelled as he struggled free. Seeing Belire's hand was conveniently right by his side, he reached out and bit it hard.

A roar of pain escaped from Belire as he slapped Yuuri across the face. The force was almost enough to snap Yuuri's neck that he could only whimper in pain.

"You bark and bite like a dog, Maoh-heika," Belire spat, eyes flashing maliciously. "However, I can't have you making all those doggy actions you like while on the way to Dai Shimaron, so I have no choice but to silence you. Sweet dreams in la-la land."

Before Yuuri could even register what Belire was suggesting, a hard thump on the neck knock him unconscious and the last thing he saw was the crown of flowers he had made for Conrad.

"Conrad…"

Yuuri…Yuuri… Please be safe, or I'll really suffocate with guilt...

This was the only thought that was in Conrad's mind as he raced down the stone stairs, Gunter and Gwendal behind him. The stables…damn it! Why were they so far away? Behind him, he could hear Gunter panting hardly already. He himself also felt tired, but he cannot stop. He CANNOT stop until he Yuuri was found safe and sound.

Reaching the stables, the only sight that met their eyes was chaos. Horses were neighing and galloping around as the guards tried to stop them. Ignoring them, Conrad rushed into the stables. Where's Yuuri? Where was he?

He came to the place where they—he—locked Yuuri in, and what was left to welcome him was just the stinky smell of horse poo and weeds.

No…it can't be…

"HEIKA! Where is Yuuri-heika?" Gunter's dismayed voice exploded from behind him as he pushed Conrad aside to get a better view of the stall.

There's no Yuuri with his warm black eyes and smile to meet him…ok, that's not right, because Yuuri won't be smiling at him, all radiant and happy after he'd agreed to lock him in here. Conrad had expected Yuuri to be crouching at a corner, sobbing. But there was no one. None at all…staggering backwards, Conrad knocked into Gwendal. Spinning around, he felt his blood boil as he regarded his brother with unadulterated anger.

"You-"

"Gwendal-sama! We've just received news from Dai Shimaron that they'd captured the Maoh!" a messenger rushed in hurriedly as he reported the news to Gwendal who looked doubly shocked as Gunter and Conrad.

"The Maoh was…"

Something inside Conrad snapped as he pushed Gwendal against the wall, punching his fist at the side of Gwendal's face, face red with fury, leaving the messenger yelping with fear as he retreated out.

"YOU! Why did you lock Yuuri in such a horrible place? Didn't I tell you it isn't a good idea? He's just a small child for goodness sake! Now look what had happened? He's captured by the enemies! What made you think that you can lock him up here all alone? Have you ever have the _slightest _notion that he might be afraid? He's not like you who's cold and void of feelings! He's NOT like you, Gwendal! He's Yuuri! Shibuya Yuuri! Why did you…why did I let him…let him stay alone…?" Conrad's voice faltered as he slumped to the ground, breathing hardly due to his sudden outburst.

Looking overly taken aback, Gwendal could only let Conrad's words run through his mind. Yes, he's correct. He'd been overreacting, punishing Yuuri for such a harmless prank of his. It wasn't Yuuri's fault that he'd turned into a five-year-old and did all these things. No, Yuuri wasn't like this normally, when he was still himself when he wasn't turned. He was considerate and he'd never touch any of his soft toys.

Gwendal didn't know what made him decide on such an awful punishment for Yuuri. It's just that seeing Yuuri now reminds him too much of how Wolfram had been in the past. Somehow, he just had the penchant trying to 'toughen' up little kids. His own past with Lord Weller, Conrad's father, had sort of affected him in most ways. He didn't want to seem helpless and useless in front of Lord Weller, therefore he'd trained himself very hard, and kept to himself, not willing to let anyone into his own world.

Right now, seeing Yuuri remindws him not only of Wolfram, but also his younger self. He could swear he did everything out of good nature to Yuuri, but it seemed that his 'good-natured' way was sort of twisted.

"Oh hekia…forgive me! I shouldn't have let this monster Gwendal to sway me in letting you be locked here…now you're captured…oh…oh…Heika!" Gunter was currently wallowing with guilt as he sobbed into his arms.

Conrad was still on the ground, stunned and unable to utter a word. Gwendal knew Yuuri meant a lot to Conrad, and seeing his brother in grief struck a chord in his heart—something that was unfelt for years—and he wished he can take everything back…bending down, Gwendal reached out for Conrad's hand and held it firmly, his gray eyes showing determination.

Angry and confused, Conrad looked up as he opened his mouth to speak, but Gwendal shot him a look that stopped him. Gwendal could see the faint sign of tears in Conrad's eyes, and he knew his decision was correct.

"Pull yourself together, brother. We're going to rescue our Maoh."

_**A/N (Akikee): And so the chapter ends! I hope it turned out fine. I know it's still a bit unclear on Gwendal's part on why he punished Yuuri so harshly, but apparently, the idea is that he was trying to train Yuuri to be tougher, well, in his way that's to say… I can only apologize on my part on how the chapter went so angsty towards the end, but I do hope I made it better with the brotherly concern…Well, so I'm signing off now. Next chapter will be written by Akirina, but I'm not sure when she'll be able to update because she'll be overseas, so till chapter 6 is where we'll meet again! **_


	6. Chapter 5

Akikee: *pokes Akirina* another update from you, make me soooo ashamed… Seemed like you always got so much time to type! Not to mention efficient…Thanks for readers out there and your reviews! And let's give a big hand to Akirina for her fast updating skills!

Akirina: *pouts at Akikee* well, I spent all night typing and editing this... and anyway, it's the weekends, so why not spend time on com? Akikee also does quite well... anyway, enjoy!

Chapter 5

"Wolfram, take your troops and head into the village to search for Heika." Günter commanded. "Conrad, Gwendal, you will go around searching the surrounding forests and hills for Heika. I shall find the Kotsuhitsuku for more information on Heika."

The three brothers nodded and they separated immediately, each of them turning their attention to finding their missing monarch.

Conrad was easily the most disturbed among his half-siblings. He leaned forward in his horse, urging it to hurry to find Yuuri.

Gwendal was the most guilty. He did not know what had spurred him into making the kid King spend the whole afternoon in the stables. He knew that he had been harsh—overly so—and he had done wrong. But there had been a compulsion that stirred his anger and made him punish Yuuri.

As for Wolfram, he was more concerned about the troubles Yuuri might have met. What if someone had kidnapped Yuuri? That would mean a rescue attempt that would end up horribly disastrous—knowing Yuuri's penchant for trouble—and the more-than-likely emergence of the Maoh—and believe me, the Maoh was not someone you would want to know on a daily basis, nor was he someone you would want to see when you had committed something immorally wrong.

With that, the three brothers rushed on.

Yuuri opened his eyes slowly. A piece of cloth was stuffed in his mouth and he was bound tightly with ropes. For a moment, he could not remember anything. But the memories of the past events rushed into his head and his eyes widened in realization. He started to struggle against his bonds, trying to wiggle his way out of his restraints.

"Captain! The brat's awake!"

Yuuri froze. This was not good. He cried out in pain as someone seized his hair and pulled him up roughly.

"Well now, my pretty." Belire sneered by his ear. "Why didn't you tell me that you were awake? I would have provided better… accommodations if you had said so."

Tears welled up in Yuuri's eyes as he hung limply from Belire's grip. He did not want to move and cause more pain.

How was he going to get away from his kidnappers? Yuuri wondered.

Belire threw him to the ground and Yuuri let out another muffled cry as the rough movement jostled his shoulder. Belire laughed and leaned down to rip the gag out of Yuuri's mouth.

Yuuri blinked, not expected Belire to do that. Just as the thought crossed Yuuri's mind, Belire thrust a cup of foul-smelling liquid to Yuuri's mouth. At the same time, he pinched Yuuri's nose, causing the child to open his mouth—and he poured the liquid down Yuuri's throat.

Yuuri gagged and spluttered, inevitably swallowing some of the substance. Finally, Belire held the cup away from Yuuri.

"What did you do?" Yuuri demanded when he could speak.

Belire smirked. "Just an extra precaution."

Then, Yuuri's eyes started to droop and he slumped to the ground.

"King Saralegui."

"I told you to call me Sara, Belias. You're my uncle, doesn't that give you enough reason to call me by my name?" The aforementioned turned to his body guard and uncle. "Well?"

"My apologies, King- Sara. But there is a group of Big Shimaron soldiers in the forest just ahead…"

Saralegui frowned. "Big Shimaron? I didn't hear that King Ranjeel had any meetings with Yuuri…"

"The King isn't with them. But there's a child…" Belias replied after a moment of intense listening. "His voice sounds strangely familiar…"

"Come, Belias, let us find out what the Big Shimaron soldiers are doing so near to the borders of Shin Makoku. I do not have a good feeling about this." Saralegui ordered as he spurred his horse onward.

"Yes, King Saralegui."

"I told you, it's Sara! _Sara_," Saralegui emphasized. "You really must learn, Belias! Mother was mortified when she heard you calling me 'King Saralegui'—it's just not proper between family members, don't you know that?"

"My apologies, Sara." Belias replied carefully and the argument was put aside for the moment as the duo neared the clearing the Big Shimaron soldiers were in.

"Captain, is that brat really the Maoh?"

"Of course he is! I'm not so dim-witted to grab the wrong person!"

"But I heard that the Maoh was supposed to be older… Like fifteen years old, or something?"

"Fool! He was turned into a child. We've been planning for this to happen—there's always a chance to kidnap the king as long as that demon who keeps inventing strange machines is around. So all you need to do is make sure he doesn't escape!"

"Yuuri?" Saralegui murmured in shock. "He's been captured? And there's a spy at the castle?"

Belias also shared Saralegui's shock. Wasn't Conrad, Yuuri's body guard supposed to stick by his liege's side? Where had the half-demon gone?

"Belias." Saralegui's sudden, urgent tone broke Belias out of his thoughts. "We have to save Yuuri. We can't let Ranjeel get hold of him."

Belias dipped his head in agreement. And then, he was gone. Saralegui blinked at the spot his uncle had been occupying a few moments ago and he turned to the clearing, intending to march into the campsite behind his uncle when the elder man suddenly appeared in front of him with a small bundle in his arms.

"Belias," Saralegui said, irritated. "You could have waited for me. I can fight, you know."

"My apologies, Ki- Sara." Belias bowed. "Shall we leave now? The soldiers didn't take kindly to my presence and my snatching of Yuuri Heika."

Saralegui took the child from Belias and urged his horse to the direction of Shin Makoku. As the two of them raced down the track, Yuuri stirred slightly.

"Conrad?" he murmured.

"Conrad isn't here, Yuuri." Saralegui told the child in his arms gently. "What happened?"

"Mm…" Yuuri's eyes fluttered and then he sank into black oblivion again.

"I hope we reach Shin Makoku quickly. I want to know why Yuuri is in this state and how he was captured!" Saralegui muttered to Belias, frustrated.

"Don't worry, King Saralegui. We are approaching the border of Shin Makoku. Once we pass through into Shin Makoku, we can go and seek Yuuri Heika's servants." Belias assured his king.

"I told you, it's Sara, Belias." Saralegui retorted, an underlying touch of annoyance to his voice.

But Belias wasn't listening. He had tensed in his saddle, eyes fixed on the road before him. In front of the two kings and the body guard, blocking the way to 'freedom' was a group of soldiers wearing the armor of Big Shimaron. Belias cursed silently as he unsheathed his sword, preparing for battle.

"Saralegui, take Yuuri Heika to Shin Makoku now! I will distract them for the moment-" Belias was cut off as the Big Shimaron soldiers stepped out of the forest behind them. They were trapped.

"If you give us the king, we won't harm you." The Commander of the troops spoke warningly, his eyes fixed on Belias and Saralegui before his gaze slid to the young child in Saralegui's arms. "And if you support our endeavors to overthrow Shin Makoku, we'll give you a third of the land to you and any other allies you wish to include in the war."

Saralegui's brow creased. He had half a mind to bring them under his power and turn them against Big Shimaron. Or better yet, let them fight amongst themselves whilst he, Belias and Yuuri slipped away.

Belias must have guessed what his king was thinking, for he uttered softly, "Don't do, Saralegui."

"Why not?" Saralegui hissed back, equally softly. "We need to get Yuuri away-"

"But not at the risk of your life! You do know that taking on this many people will make you exhausted? And how will I be able to get you to Shin Makoku safely if you are tired? What will happen to Yuuri Heika?" Belias murmured back heatedly.

"Then what do we do?" Saralegui half-whispered and half-hissed. "Are we going to fight back?"

Belias then did something that surprised Saralegui. He grinned fiercely. "No. _I _am going to fight. _You _are going to head to Shin Makoku." He instructed his liege.

"No!" Saralegui protested fiercely. "What about you? I can't leave you behind!"

Belias ignored his nephew's protests. "On the count of three." He told Saralegui.

"One…"

"Have you finished discussing?" The Commander asked impatiently.

"Two…"

"I object to your idea, Belias!" Saralegui cried, but he was readying the horse and clutching Yuuri closer to him.

"Three!"

Belias charged forward, unsheathing his swords. The Big Shimaron soldiers barely had time to prepare themselves before Belias was cutting through their ranks as easily as a knife cuts through butter. As for Saralegui, he had disappeared.

It did not take a long time for the Commander to realize that Saralegui and the child king were missing. "Go after the other one! He has the target!" he shouted the command to his men. A portion of them broke off immediately from the fight and raced into the forest after Saralegui and Yuuri. Belias cursed as he fought against the remaining faction of the group. He could only hope that Yuuri Heika and his king—Saralegui, Belias corrected himself—would get away.

Saralegui urged his horse to run faster as they crashed through the under bush. He cast nervous glances behind him now and then, checking the progress of his pursuers. It seemed that he had lost them… But Saralegui knew that they were not safe until they had passed the boundary line of Shin Makoku. And it would be great if he would manage to find the border patrol.

"There they are!"

Saralegui whipped his head to the source of the shout. It seemed that he had had that thought too soon and Saralegui cursed the soldiers. How had they managed to catch up with him? They had not been there a moment ago… Just how…? There was not enough time for him to get to the boundaries… he would have to fight.

He made his horse rear as the soldiers got closer, the flailing hooves taking down two of their pursuers. Saralegui tried to unsheathe his sword while keeping Yuuri and himself on the horse. Then it was a whirl of activities as he tried to defend himself and Yuuri. But his efforts were in vain when a hard object hit his head heavily and he fell unconscious immediately.

"Commander! We have the brat!"

Belias glanced from the fight, momentarily distracted and his eyes widened when he saw the child king in the soldier's arms. He panicked, trying to reach Yuuri when he realized something else.

What had happened to Saralegui?

"What do we do with the king?" one of the two soldiers struggled to carry the heavier teenage Small Shimaron king.

"I suppose we will have to take him along…" the other soldier shrugged. Then he stopped, as if an idea had struck him. He glanced at the first speaker's face, then Saralegui's face. "Unless… we could dispose of him and...?"

"Blame it on him for resisting and getting himself killed?" The first soldier smirked. "Good idea. I like it. Let's kill the brat, then. He sure is a burden."

The second soldier had barely raised his sword to stab Saralegui when he stiffened. He slowly glanced down at the red spreading across his chest and the sharp sword sticking out of his chest before he crumpled to the ground like a marionette whose strings had been cut.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Saralegui's savior said as he examined the king of Small Shimaron after disposing of the second soldier in a similar fashion. "The King of Small Shimaron?"

He glanced in the direction where the other fight was taking place. "I don't suppose…?"

Belias quickly finished off the last of the opposing forces, eager to be searching for his young nephew. He prayed that Saralegui was still alive as he moved in the direction where his king had bolted when the under bush rustled and a muscular blonde man emerged from the forest, leading a horse that was Saralegui's and the owner slumped over the neck of the horse, clearly unconscious.

"Wha- Who are you?" Belias demanded, on the defensive.

"I am Adelbert." The man answered. "Is this young man a companion of yours?" he asked, gesturing to Saralegui.

"Yes." Belias answered shortly and he approached, lifting his king down from the saddle easily.

"Kin- Sara? Sara, wake up." Belias shook his king until his nephew opened his eyes. The younger man blinked blurrily at Belias twice before he remembered the past events.

"Yuuri!" Saralegui cried, bolting upright. "Belias! They have him! We must save-"

"However, King Saralegui, we cannot rescue Yuuri by ourselves. We will need help from Shin Makoku…" Belias argued, seeing the look of frustration settle upon Saralegui's features.

"Excuse me."

The king and his body guard turned to Adelbert, both seeming to have forgotten that he was still standing there.

Adelbert's blue eyes burned brightly. "Did you just say Yuuri?"

"Come, ladies! While the brave men are out searching for our wonderful king, let us defend our country!" Anissina rallied the maids of the castle. Then, when everyone scrabbled to set booby traps and what not within the castle, she headed to her lab to retrieve her latest invention.

Upon opening the door to her lab, Anissina wrinkled her nose as a sweet smell assailed her senses. She pulled an oxygen-supplying device out of her pocket and entered the room. Her eyes searched the room for the source of the smell and she spotted the device that was still working away at a corner of her lab. Anissina turned it off and found the other machine she was looking for. As she left the room, Anissina realized something.

"Hm… Didn't I send Gwendal into my lab to get my spectacles earlier? Before he found out that Yuuri Heika 'destroyed' his knitting?" Anissina mused. "I wonder what effects Emotion-Amplifier-kun had on him… It's supposed to amplify any feelings that he must have had when he entered the lab… I do hope he was feeling angry… Well, seeing as it's Gwendal, he must have been…

"Hm… Interesting."


	7. Chapter 6

_**Akikee: Hmm… It's been a long while since Akirina updated… blame me for the inefficiency…Well, thanks for readers and reviewers. You guys are great. So here's chapter 6. Read and enjoy.**_

_**Akirina: So... here's the next chap. Sorry for the late update!**_

Chapter 6

"Yuuri…" Conrad sighed to himself as he looked at the vast horizon of the sea. The sun was setting, painting the whole sky blood-red and the air tasted salty…salty just like the taste of his tears. Of course, he'd not cried in front of his brothers or anyone else. It had been his incompetence that had resulted in the capture of Yuuri.

They hadn't been able to find Yuuri in their surrounding territories. However, there had been sightings of a black-haired child being spotted on a horseback of some troops of Dai Shimaron. Then, a messenger from Dai Shimaron had also further confirmed the whereabouts of Yuuri. He was kidnapped by Dai Shimaron's king.

Anger and fear overwhelmed Conrad when he heard this piece of news. The only thing he could do was to glare at Gwendal who looked away guiltily. The last time he checked, Shin Makoku wasn't on very best terms with Dai Shimaron… Ranjeel had always been planning for some surprise attacks. Now, Yuuri had been turned into a child, it made him even more vulnerable to threats like kidnapping… He swore that if anything mishap befell Yuuri, his brother would be the first to suffer his wrath…

Wiping his face roughly with his sleeve, Conrad took a deep breath and calmed himself. Now, the most important thing was to rescue Yuuri and not further agitate Ranjeel. As long as they could keep that Dai Shimaron king happy for a bit longer, the chances of getting Yuuri back will be higher. Yes, he must gather himself up and not act like some lost mourning puppy. Balling his fist, Conrad gritted his teeth and looked at the cabin where his brothers were. He would keep his king safe.

Meanwhile, Gwendal and Wolfram were discussing how they should organize their rescue team, but nothing feasible came out. Both of them had been disturbed by a thought, and that was the safety of Yuuri. Images of Yuuri being tortured kept popping out of their mind, especially Gwendal's since he's the main culprit and both of them were edgy on their seats.

"Gah…I just can't think of any possible way to safe Yuuri!" Wolfram cried in frustration as he grabs his head, messing up his hair.

"Stop disturbing me with your useless rant! I'm trying to think here!" Gwendal growled at Wolfram who looked indignant.

"Hey, let me remind you, you're the one who'd caused all these troubles! If you hadn't been so unreasonable, Yuuri wouldn't be locked in the stables, and he wouldn't have stage the marvellous escape with those horses and he wouldn't be out there with that Kohi, and he wouldn't be captured by those Dai Shimaron's soldiers and—"

"SHUT UP!"

Both Gwendal and Wolfram froze, gaping at the opened door, at their chestnut brown- haired brother.

"Just shut up okay?" Conrad repeated, fist against the door, brows knitted tightly together.

Eyes gazing at the table, Gwendal slightly nodded his head while Wolfram looked as if he's about to open his mouth to protest. Shooting a glare at Wolfram, Conrad stormed away back to the deck, leaving the other two brothers silent for a while before Wolfram started again.

"See! Even Conrad blames you!"

Unable to give a good rebut, Gwendal swallowed that accusation without a single word. Inside, he felt so guilty that he thought he tasted something really sour and bitter in his mouth. Guilt is sure a bitter thing to swallow down. Very bitter… Hell, Conrad was really angry this time. Really very angry.

"My king, as ordered from you, I had captured the Maoh. He is now locked in the dungeons, waiting for further orders," Belire bowed to Ranjeel who merely grunted.

"I got that. You may go," Ranjeel waved Belire away, not even showing the slightest interest.

"Of course," Belire hissed under his breath, getting up and walking out of the room, seething with rage.

That Ranjeel had been getting on his nerves, treating him like some slave that can be called and ordered around. Just wait, Belire swore. One fine day, he'd repay him all the 'nice' treatments he had gotten from 'King' Ranjeel. Let's see how he would react… Now, it was time to visit his newly captured prize…

Hand grabbing a torch, Belire chuckled as he walked down the stone steps to the dungeon. With the Maoh in his hands, Shin Makoku will surely be heading towards their doom soon. Anyway, what could a child-king do? Not much he guess—just crying and making flower crowns… Looking at the unconscious child behind the bars, Belire felt a wave of satisfaction. Hmm…perhaps he could blackmail Ranjeel since he was the one who'd gone through all the trouble to catch the Maoh back.

Nodding to the guards, he grinned. "I want him chained up. We wouldn't want any accidents to happen, do we?"

"So you say we're just going to barge into Ranjeel's dungeon, grab Yuuri and waltz out?" Saralegui cried out, glancing at Belias then returned his attention to Adelbert who smiled and nodded.

"Precisely," Adelbert replied, looking rather smug at this so-called rescue plan.

"Seriously, someone, knock some sense into him," Saralegui rolled his eyes. Seriously, this man in front of him was a classic example of someone who's all brawns no brains…

"Do you propose a better plan?" Adelbert demanded, eyes glinting dangerously.

"Um….umm… No actually…" Saralegui replied, blushing.

"Then don't go around saying other people's plans are not good, kid. I swear you were still wearing your diapers when I am out here fending for my life."

"Well, I could bet that you certainly didn't do a good job of it…" Saralegui murmured to himself, earning a glare from Adelbert.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Nothing. Really, nothing," Saralegui replied, sighing, inwardly thinking why he was rescued by someone who was rather dense. Wait, make that _very_ dense. As dense as a forest. Saralegui snickered at the thought.

"Why don't we sneak into the castle in the middle of the night so that we might not be catching so much attention? Then my ki-…Sara, you can use your compulsion to compel the guards to let us have the key and-"

"That's what I called a good plan, uncle!" Saralegui interrupted happily, patting Belias's back. Grinning, he almost stuck a tongue out at Adelbert. "See, get some brains before you start rambling."

"Yeah, seeing that you aren't exactly Mr Smarty Pants yourself, kid."

Saralegui had to control himself not to lunge forward to strangle his rescuer.

Darkness…dampness….Eww!

Yuuri's eyes flew open as he wrinkled his nose at the stench…Had something died down here? Wait…where's 'down here'? Looking around frantically, all Yuuri could see was black spots in his eyes. A wave of nausea flooded through him as he steadied himself, breathing in slowly and deeply. When his eyes start to get adjusted to the dark, he sat up slowly and looked around, only to find bars facing him…

Scrambling to his feet, Yuuri ran to the bars, only to find that he was restricted by the shackles on his legs that kept him from moving forward. Frustration and dread filled him as he remembered what had happened. He was captured…he was captured…for crying out loud, HE WAS CAPTURED!

"Let me out! Let me oooouuuuuttttt!"

Nothing replied him, except for the echoes of his voice through the dungeons, which was amplified a hundred times. Was this punishment for his mischief? Why was he kidnapped by those evil men? What did they want from him? He's just a poor child who wanted to make Conrad a flower crown…

Speaking of Conrad, would Conrad still be angry at him? He had wanted to make the flower crown for him as a gift for him to forgive his mischief. However, seeing the situation he had landed himself into, there would be no more present-giving time…Tears welling in his eyes, Yuuri crawled to the wall and leant against it, trying hard not to cry. Seriously, the stables were way better than the dungeons…

Wait…was it his imagination, or was the wall here particularly… soft…?

Hope seemed to have rekindled in Yuugi as he used his small fingers to dig at the walls. Satisfaction and pride grew inside Yuuri as he continued digging, seeing the walls crumbling more and more. Rubbing his eyes to get those tears out, Yuuri smiled slightly to himself. Just a few more hours and he'll be free. Just let those kidnappers wait and see how he'll make his grand escape.

Giggling at the thought of his kidnappers' shocked expression, Yuuri couldn't help but feel less afraid of the situation he was in.

"So what do you suggest we do, _captain_," Saralegui whispered to Adelbert.

"Shh…not so loud," Adelbert replied, shushing Saralegui with his hand.

"For god's sake, I was already whispering! Now get your smelly hand of me!" Saralegui hissed angrily as he struggled to break free from Adelbert's grab.

"Sara, quiet!" Belias who was in between the duo hissed. "The guards have heard us!"

"See, it's your fault!" Adelbert added, earning himself a smack on the head by Saralegui.

"I know you're out there! Come out!"

Saralegui, Belias and Adelbert could only stare at each other, throwing accusing glances around. Soon, a lantern came into view, and a rather petrified young man wearing the uniform of the Dai Shimaron's troop is seen.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the guard stuttered, waving his lantern at the trio.

"We are…um…special guests…invited…" Adelbert explained lamely, nudging Saralegui to give a feasible explanation.

"Yeah, don't you recognize who I am? I'm the king of Shou Shimaron," Saralegui added.

"Kings don't dress like you," the guard replied, wrinkling his nose. Well, he was right to suspect them as you wouldn't really get the chance to see a king and his companions dressed all in black, sneaking into the dungeons will you?

"Let's just say—"

"We knock him out cold," Belias said, appearing suddenly behind the guard with a log and thump it hard on his head.

The guard fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut off. Both Saralegui and Adelbert looked at Belias in amazement before they knew something was wrong… was it lighter than it was when they had first arrived? Looking around, all three of them found their answer.

"Intruders!"

Gosh, this rescue plan is seriously a damn screwed up one….

_**Akikee: And so it ends. Sorry for the short chapter…Well, till the next, next chapter!**_


	8. Chapter 7

**Akikee: Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you will enjoy this chapter.**

**Akirina: Sorry for the late update! Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 7

Yuuri grunted as he stumbled over some loose rocks, glancing behind him every now and then to check that no one was chasing him. He had managed to escape the prison—what joy!—and he was now running away from it, hopefully to a better place… and hopefully to Conrad…

**In the meantime…**

"Conrad…"

Turning towards the flap of his tent, Conrad saw that it was his brother, Gwendal. Confusion and a well of emotions swelled from within as he questioned himself whether should he answer to the call. He was ashamed of himself letting his personal affairs getting into his head and quarrelling with his brothers.

"Conrad? Can I enter?"

Heaving a deep breath, Conrad murmured a yes before turning back to the map he was looking at earlier on. Gwendal stepped into his tent and walked towards him, but Conrad felt that he couldn't face his brother.

"Are you alright?" Gwendal asked hesitantly, noticing that the ambience in the tent seemed to be very tense. "I uh…. I'm uh…"

Gwendal wanted to slap himself in the face for stammering. Conrad refused to look at him…would his brother hate him for what had happened to Yuuri? He remembered he had yet to apologize for what had happened.

"I'm sorry."

Shifty grey eyes met the soft olive ones as both brothers uttered what was on their mind in unison. A second passed, then two, followed by a series of laughter from both of them.

Smiling warmly at Gwendal, Conrad was relieved that the awkwardness between both of them had dissipated. Patting his brother lightly on his back, Conrad said, "I'd never blamed you."

"I would have understood if you did," Gwendal replied softly, earning a muddled look by Conrad. "Don't deceive yourself. It was clear that you loved Yuuri. Anybody would have seen that. You're worried for him."

"I—"

"Stop denying, Conrad. We both know that you love Yuuri. And he seems to have some reciprocal feelings for you too…" Gwendal asserted firmly. "Just admit it."

"Gwendal…" Conrad said, rather helplessly. He looked away from him. "I couldn't…"

"Look… just listen, alright?" Gwendal pressed. "Yuuri must realize it now… although he might not have been really aware of it before. That he loves you. Propose to him as soon as he returns to his natural form… will you?"

"I…" Conrad returned his frantic gaze to Gwendal. "I can't! He's my king, Gwendal! I'm just a soldier! You of all people should know that. Regardless of whatever feelings I harbor for Yuuri…"

"Then you'll just have to be honest, wouldn't you? I trust you to make the right decision, brother," Gwendal retorted.

"Gwendal!"

"My Lord, the Dai Shimaron's soldier are in the vicinity. We suspect they might have found intruders!"

Well, this was certainly not the best time…

**Meanwhile…**

"Well now, who's the one who messed the plan up?" Adelbert scoffed. "And you were saying that I had no brains. Better take that back, kid."

Saralegui flushed in embarrassment. "It's not as if I wanted to botch it!" He protested. "And I did tell you to get your hands off me, so you are in the wrong too!"

Adelbert opened his mouth immediately to rebut, but he was stopped by Belias. "Sh." Belias hushed them, looking behind them. "Do you feel as if there's someone else around?"

"Yes." Adelbert replied immediately while Saralegui frowned, his senses not being as sharp as the other two.

"Heellooo?"

The trio whirled around, on their guards. Belias and Adelbert drew their swords immediately, moving in front of Saralegui. Saralegui prepared himself, ready to use his powers if the situation called for it.

"Helloo?" the person was nearer, now. The trio noted that the caller sounded very young… As if it were a child. They exchanged glances with each other. Could it be…?

The bushes rustled and a child stumbled out, his black eyes searching his surroundings. He spotted them immediately and grinned. "Hello!" he chirped. "I'm lost. Can you help me?"

"Uh…" Belias stumbled over his words, glancing at Saralegui for help. Saralegui looked just as shocked as he was, but recovered quickly.

"Hello," Saralegui greeted casually. "Are you Shibuya Yuuri?" It didn't hurt to be careful.

"Yes." Yuuri nodded. "And you are…?"

"I am Saralegui, King of Small Shimaron." Saralegui replied. "And this is Belias and Adelbert."

Yuuri nodded cheerfully, turning to Adelbert. "I know you. Well, Julia knows you. She says that you were her… fiancé, many years ago." Then ignoring the shocked look on Adelbert's face, he turned back to Saralegui and Belias. "Julia also says that you can bring me back to Conrad." He mentioned. "Can we get going now?"

Saralegui and Belias exchanged glances, before Saralegui nodded and held out a hand to Yuuri. "Of course, let's get going." He replied, and led Yuuri through some more underbrush before Yuuri spoke again.

"Julia asks why do you not have horses? Wouldn't it be much easier to go back home with them? And why is it only you three who are here? Where are Conrad, Wolfram and Gwendal?"

"Ah," Saralegui scrambled to say something. "Uh, actually, we came out here to save you, Yuuri."

"Really?" Yuuri asked him, his eyes shining in amazement before he drooped. "Well, if I had known that, I wouldn't have tried to escape."

"About that," Belias broke in. "How is it that you managed to escape? We didn't feel anything…"

"Feel anything?" Yuuri asked in confusion before he replied to Belias's question. "I just pushed the wall down."

"What?" the three exclaimed, looking at Yuuri in astonishment.

"Good Heavens," Belias murmured. "I wasn't aware that he still possessed such power to push down a wall…"

"Well… It wasn't that hard." Yuuri said cheerfully. "I had to dig a little, though. And what about you? You said that you were coming to save me. What was your plan?"

"Um," Saralegui said eloquently. "Well, the plan was for me to use my powers… and then get a key to rescue you…"

"That is, until the kid botched the plan himself." Adelbert said casually from behind them.

Saralegui glared at Adelbert. "Well, I did tell you to keep your hands off me!" he retorted angrily. "You were the one who didn't listen to me!"

"Keep his hands off you?" Yuuri tilted his head in confusion and the three men flushed at how wrong the words sounded.

"He tried to clap his hand over my mouth so that I would stop talking," Saralegui hastened to explain. "Unfortunately, I didn't take it very well."

"Huh," Adelbert scoffed. "He took it so well that he started shouting at me and caused us to be discovered by the guard. And then he wasn't prepared to use his powers to trick the guard, so we had to escape quickly."

"Oh." Yuuri nodded. "Then it was a good thing that I managed to escape by myself, isn't it?"

"Uh," Saralegui said, looking to Belias. "Well, I suppose it was…"

"Oh, goody!" Yuuri clapped his hands together happily. "I suppose Conrad would love to hear about this!"

The trio exchanged glances with each other again. Conrad? Considering the fact that the half-Mazoku had been slightly… unhappy when they left, they decided that it would be a bad idea for Conrad to learn of this.

"Um, Yuuri." Belias started. "Maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea…"

"Yeah, why don't you just tell him that you managed to escape and we happened to find you? Leave out the part about our plan to rescue you."

"Oh?" Yuuri blinked at them innocently before he shrugged. "If that's what you want," He replied. "I don't mind."

The three 'rescuers' sighed in relief. But Yuuri popped their bubble of relief again. "Julia wants me to tell my brother, though. I can tell him, can't I?" He stared at them with pleading eyes, like a small puppy that was being abandoned.

"Uh…" Adelbert stumbled over his words, taken aback by the impact of Yuuri's puppy-dog look. "Well, of course you can tell him!" the words slipped out, much to the trios' horror.

"Yay!" Yuuri laughed in delight and they were too entranced by Yuuri's happy face to take back what Adelbert had said.

"Oh!" Yuuri perked up suddenly as they passed by a small stream. "Is that water? I'm thirsty… and I need a bath." He looked to Saralegui. "Can we stop for a bit?"

Saralegui nodded, still shocked and Yuuri quickly scrambled towards the stream. He exchanged another glance with his 'accomplices'.

"What do we do?" he asked in despair, knowing that they would not survive to see another day if Conrad knew of this. Conrad was too protective of Yuuri—he would go ballistic if he knew of the attempted rescue and that Yuuri had to save himself.

"We'll have to persuade him not to tell his brother," Adelbert sighed. "I seen him once before, his brother is like a second Conrad… or maybe even worse."

"That's bad." Saralegui murmured, just as a loud splash sounded from the stream.

The trio spent some time organizing their plan and when they had finished, they realized that quite some time had passed and Yuuri had not come back yet.

"I'll go check on him." Saralegui told his companions as he stood and stretched. He wandered down to the stream and frowned as he saw no signs of Yuuri, the only evidence that the child had been there were the clothes that had been left on a rock.

"Yuuri?" Saralegui called. "Yuuri?"

He hunted around for the child king, but Yuuri was nowhere to be found. Eventually, Adelbert and Belias came to find him and they spent some time searching before Adelbert remembered something.

"Oh no…" he murmured, staring at the stream. "It can't be…"

"What's wrong, Adelbert?" Belias asked.

"I've heard that the king can transport himself back to wherever he came from through water… What if…?" Adelbert muttered.

"Oh no." Saralegui whispered. "Then the splash just now…"

"He's gone back to his home." Adelbert confirmed.

**On the other hand…**

"It's a ransom. From King Ranjeel." Gwendal gritted his teeth in frustration as he handed the missive to Conrad. "They want us to become a part of Big Shimaron… There'll be a meeting of the two countries in two days' time. We're to bring the Ten Nobles as representatives of Shin Makoku and he'll come with Yuuri…"

"This is absurd!" Wolfram yelled, frowning as he read the missive. "They can't do that! It's completely…"

"We have no choice." Gwendal sighed, still scowling. "We will have to return as quickly as we can."

"My Lord!" A soldier burst into the tent, seeming rather frantic.

"What is it?" Gwendal snapped, tired of getting bad news all the time.

"The patrols caught three suspicious people wandering around after the Big Shimaron soldiers left! They're under our watch now." Then he hesitated.

"What is it?" Conrad repeated his brother's words, although he used a gentle tone, throwing his brother an exasperated look. Gwendal ignored him.

"Well… one of them claims to be the King of Small Shimaron… and another said he used to be a general in the King's army…" the soldier said uncertainly.

"King of Small Shimaron?" the three brothers exchanged alarmed glances. "Lead us to them quickly."


	9. Chapter 8

_**Akikee: I'm so sorry for the long delay. I just can't count how many months had passed since the last update. Gah, my bad, so don't blame Akirina. So here's chapter 8. I know it's rather short for the long wait, but it shall do for now.**_

_**Akirina: Despite the fact that she took a long time to complete the chapter, I think her sense of humor is much better than mine :) **_

* * *

_**Chapter 8**_

Shouri was distressed. Distressed with a capital 'D'! Watching the water streaming down from the tap, filling the bathtub, Shouri couldn't help but feel more and more irritated as the seconds passed by. Every drop of water and every sound in the bathroom were making him feel irritated and frustrated. Why oh why? Had those cunning three brothers who claimed to be Yuuri's protectors tied him up and refused to let him return to Earth, to him, Shouri, his dearest big brother?

Common sense told him those brothers would never do that, but that would mean that it was Yuuri who had forgotten all about him. It had been three days since Yuuri had gone to Shin Makoku. THREE DAYS! That would have been a few months there already! Could his sweet baby brother forget all about him? He refused to believe it! Yuuri, with all his shortcomings, would never, ever—EVER!—forget about him!

Tossing his towel at the rack, Shouri gritted his teeth as he stuck a hand into the filled bathtub to check if the water temperature was to his liking. A voice in him told him that Yuuri must have met with some mishap and those three brothers are too ashamed to show their face here and tell him, thus with the delay of Yuuri coming home. That must be it. Satisfied with his own theory, Shouri stirred his hand in the tub, feeling that the temperature was just nice for him while the steam coming from the water fogged his glasses, his mind suddenly rid of all troubling thoughts as the welcoming bath awaits him, until his fingers met with a lock of hair.

That was weird. He had checked that there was nothing in the tub before turning on the tap. What was that…? Images of vengeful female ghost with long black hair appearing from the bathtub clogged Shouri's mind as he tried to untangle his fingers from the unknown source of hair. That couldn't be! Those were just horror movie productions that were meant to scare people out of the daylights by doing even the simplest of daily chores like bathing. He would not be frightened just by that!

Well, at least that was what was on his mind, until he felt a pair of hands pulled him down to the tub, where a whirlpool had appeared out of the blue. Oh god! Would this be the end of him? Would this be the way how he, Shibuya Shouri the great, would fall? Struggling, Shouri pulled his hand away from the tub, but the thing inside gave a tug, causing him knock his legs against the tub.

Water was splashing out from the tub and the next thing Shouri knew was that he lost his footing and slipped, face straight into the tub. He wasn't even given any chance to give a cry before water the water filled his mouth. Then, everything was still. Pushing himself from the tub, he broke to the surface, gasping for air frantically. What was that? Hands reaching out for his fallen glasses, he felt them touching a face, then a pair of hands holding his glasses, then—

His vision was blurry due to the absence of his glasses. But never in his life would he mistake this. Grabbing his glasses away from the hand, he put them on to confirm his discovery. Could this be real? Had Christmas came early?

Because his baby brother (literally), Yuuri was sitting in the tub right in front of him.

"Yuuri! How? Why? You?" Shouri found himself not able to string his words. How could this happen?

"Nii-san?" came the extremely cute reply and Shouri could swear that he was on cloud nine.

Grabbing Yuuri up from the tub, Shouri held Yuuri in the air as he turned him around, unable to believe his eyes? Why had Yuuri turned back into how he looked thirteen years ago? Well, of course, Shouri was not going to complain about it. He could still remember in his mind how cute Yuuri was back then. Now, imagination won't be needed, because Yuuri had turned back into a child.

"Nii-san? Could you not do that? It's making me giddy," Yuuri said as he rubbed his eyes with his small fist, which was enough to make Shouri swoon.

"Okay, onii-chan will stop that. Now, we must see our mother. She'll be so happy to see you again!" Shouri said as he opened the bathroom door and sprang to the kitchen, his bath completely forgotten.

Could this be the work of the three brothers? If so, he was so ever grateful to them. They must have felt too guilty about the fact that they had shamelessly stole Yuuri away from him that they turned Yuuri into a child and sent him back so as to apologise? Well, Shouri certainly had no qualms about that. In fact, he felt like hugging those three brothers to thank them for it.

Indeed, Christmas had come early for Shibuya Shouri.

Meanwhile in Shin Makoku, the three mentioned brothers were pacing about their camp frantically. News had travelled to them that the Dai Shimaron's troops were near their camp site. This made the rescue mission much more difficult to handle.

Eyeing Conrad nervously, Gwendal swallowed as he looked at the map, trying to plan for a detour to get near to the castle where Yuuri was held captive. This is certainly working not very well. Why did the Dai Shimaron's troops know where they are? Had they been tipped off? Or were they just doing ordinary patrol? This made their rescue mission more tedious and difficult. They have to ensure Yuuri's safety above all things. If the Dai Shimaron troops knew they were here, they might use Yuuri as some hostage to threaten them into doing something that will result in dire consequences…

"General! We had caught three suspicious people lurking near our camps!" a soldier came running in, reporting on what had happened.

Suspicious people? Could it be spies from the Dai Shimaron?

"Bring them in," Gwendal said as he put the map down, massaging his temple, thinking why trouble seemed to come one after another. But again, perhaps there suspicious people will in turn help them with their rescue plan. Now, some interrogation might actually do them good. First, they would need to know where Yuuri was held captive.

Conrad was tired, anxious and worn out. He couldn't even think straight. How was Yuuri doing now? What could he be doing? Is he safe? All these questions flitted in his head as he sat on the chair, head buried in his hands. He wasn't even interested in what those suspicious people might say. For all he knows, they might be just some random passer-by…Oh…could he just rush inside the castle of Dai Shimaron and snatched Yuuri back? That would have save a lot of trouble for everybody. Conrad just couldn't get the fact that he left Yuuri alone in the stables and caused for this mishap to happen.

"Conrad? Gwendal? Thank goodness it's you guys!" a familiar voice permeated through the tent as the soldier brought the 'three suspicious people' in.

Raising his head up, Conrad was surprised to look into Adelbert, Saralegui and Belias's faces.

"Why are you here?" Gwendal asked as he looked at the three, noting their torn clothing and dirt-streaked faces.

"We—"

"No, let me talk!"

"Me!"

"Me!"

"Somebody, just drag those two idiots out," Gwendal sighed as he slapped his hand against his forehead. Who could have known that Adelbert and Saralegui could bicker like that?

"Sir Gwendal, Yuuri had escaped from Dai Shimaron. We saw him not long ago, and it seemed that he had escaped from where he was held captive by himself. We meant to bring him back, away from Dai Shimaron, but unfortunately, he had fallen into a stream—"

"He what?"

"And we think that he was transported back to Earth," Belias finished his explanations, looking at the Gwendal and Conrad, both looking surprised.

"He transported…to Earth….?" Conrad repeated slowly, letting the fact sink in, before heaving a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. Yuuri was safe after all. Thank goodness! At least on Earth, his parents would take good care of him….wait.

"He transported back as a child, right…?"

"Oh God! That brother complex!"


End file.
